Prevention of infection by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole plus amphotericin B in patients with acute nonlymphocytic leukaemia.
Fifty-two patients with nonlymphocytic leukaemia were studied during remission induction treatment in a randomized trial to ascertain the effect of prophylactic oral trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole on infection and fever rate. A decrease in the total number of acquired infections was found (16 infections in the group given trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole versus 31 in the control group, p less than 0.01). The number of patients without any infection in the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group was 13 compared to only three in the control group (p less than 0.01). Patients in the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group needed parenteral antibiotics during 33% of the days they were granulocytopenic compared to 61% of these days for patients in the control group. However, six of nine bacteriologically documented infections in the trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole group were caused by resistant microorganisms compared to two out of 20 in the control group.
D000208:Acute Disease; D000380:Agranulocytosis / Q000150:complications; D000666:Amphotericin B / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005334:Fever / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control; D007239:Infections / Q000209:etiology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000150:complications*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011897:Random Allocation; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014295:Trimethoprim / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D004338:Drug Combinations; D000666:Amphotericin B; D014295:Trimethoprim; D013420:Sulfamethoxazole